Police in Vietnam’s Central Highlands province of Dak Nong have penalized a group of seven people for getting together for a bash in violation of COVID-19 social distancing regulations.

They have been fined a total of VND70 million (US$3,060) after being caught enjoying their party at a café in the province’s Dak R’Lap District last week, local police reported on Monday.

They disregarded the current COVID-19 social distancing rules under the prime minister’s Directive No. 16, including mandatory face mask donning, a stay-home order, and a ban on gatherings larger than two people outside the home, police said.

“This act has defied the epidemic prevention measures, so it must be strictly punished as a warning to others,” a district leader said. 

Local authorities have applied safety regulations after the recent detection of over 100 coronavirus infections from two clusters in the district.

Dak Nong has documented 460 COVID-19 cases, including 174 recoveries and no fatality, since the pandemic hit the country in early 2020, according to the local Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

With 173 COVID-19 cases, Dak R’Lap is now leading the province in coronavirus infections, the committee said.

Nationwide, there have been 624,547 coronavirus infections, including 385,778 recoveries and 15,660 deaths, which is equivalent to 2.5 percent the total patient number, or 0.4 percentage points higher than the global mortality rate, the Ministry of Health reported on Monday.

Except Cao Bang, the coronavirus has spread to 62 out of the country’s 63 cities and provinces, with Ho Chi Minh City topping the list with 303,995 infections and 12,220 deaths.

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